Challenges

The purpose of the challenges is to encourage participants' creativity and artistic growth.

They are not meant to be competitions - everyone who takes part can consider themselves a winner.

It is our wish to create a "bardic safe zone" - a friendly place to feel free to experiment, stretch yourself, and try new things. If you are a new to bardic and performing arts, recently returning, or an experienced performer with new material;

You'll be hard pressed to find a friendlier and more supportive audience. (See below for general rules!)

Click here for Schedule

Baron John's Extra Credit Challenge

The Royal Hunting Preserve of Banner Bog (located in our barony and patrolled by our rangers) is a wild and mysterious place. Within this swamp, it is rumored, dwells a fantastic creature of unknown size, strength, demeanor and tendencies. FOR EXTRA CREDIT (while participating in and following the rules of one of the twelve regular challenges), please tell us a tale of the Bothersome Beast of Banner Bog.

Extra Credit Challenge Number Two - Be "Dandy for a Day" or "Dress to Kill"

For more fun, come garbed as your favorite Villain or Hero - as if they happened to be around during the "Modern Middle Ages"

Challenges

First Fyt

Pass the Tale:

All those who wish to participate get up together, and tell a tale from beginning to end. The challenge's patron will 'conduct' by pointing to the person whose turn it is to continue the tale, and deciding when it is time to end.

I’m So Misunderstood:

Everyone is the hero of their own story. No tyrant or despot has ever thought of themselves as the villain of the piece.

Tell us of your evil genius and why they are, in fact, the good guy.

This Plan Is Too Clever to Fail Twice:

Some capers get pulled off perfectly, others… *ahem* I meant to do that.

Tell us of yours. In other words, “Where’s the earth shattering ka-boom?”

Second Fyt

Mazacroca:

Given several texts to choose from in foreign languages, "translate" one of them and explain what it "really" means.

Art for Art’s Sake:

This challenge is in memory of David of Illiton. Many a bardic work has inspired or been inspired by a work of art. Share with us such a piece and the artwork connected to it. If the original art is kept in some place like The Louvre, acquiring it could give you a story in and of itself :-)

Period Piece:

Perform a documentably period piece of music, story, or song (poetry, prose, and so forth are good too). Dig out those reference books, blow off the dust (try not to sneeze), and see what wonderful and magical treasures you can find in them. There is a staggering amount of fantastic material out there. Find something, be it silly or sublime, and amaze us with it.

Third Fyt

Stir Fry:

Given a list of words, do something artistic with them.

Form Challenge: Rhyme Royal

The rhyme royal stanza consists of seven lines, usually in iambic pentameter, set a-b-a-b-b-c-c. Geoffrey Chaucer used it often, including for four of the Canterbury tales, and James I of Scotland used it, perhaps inspiring the designation "Royal" rhyme.

It remained very influential among English and Scottish poets after Chaucer's death, finally falling out of fashion during the reign of Elizabeth I.

It's James the First who gave the form its name

But Chaucer's he who's really owed the debt.

An a-b-a-b quatrain starts the game,

Then follow with a b-c-c tercet.

Another way of thinking of it yet:

A tercet with two couplets well endowed ...

And we'll say both are fair and both allowed.

No Master Bond, I Expect You to Die:

The hero is bound, helpless, and at your mercy. What do you say to them? In song, story, or poem;

are you pithy and brief – or do you start monologing?

Third and a Halfth Fyt

Evil Cackle Challenge:

Every villain, be they super genius, megalomaniacal dictator, or evil mastermind; needs an evil laugh. Let’s hear yours. It’s about standards, after all :-)

NOTE: Does not count as one of your four challenges.

Fourth Fyt

Toasting:

Feast time is traditionally when we raise our glasses on high to honor the crown and other deserving individuals. Given a topic or person at random, create an appropriate toast for them.

Bard Scribe Illuminator: "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Diabolical Plans"

The theme will be – Deathtraps. Compose, calligraph, and illuminate a text telling us of your deathtrap.

It may be something simple and to the point or a gadget that would make Rube Goldberg proud.

This may be done individually or as a team.

This year, people are encouraged to start and have this one ready at Bardic Madness; or can also be done the day of the event.

Blow Someone Else’s Horn:

Perform the work of some other SCAdian. Extra applause for memorizing and for doing something that is not well-known.

We’ll have a special chair up front for the author of your piece, if they are in attendance, to be recognized for their work.

Challenge General Rules

• • Challenges are not contests. You win by entering and striving to do the best you can.

  • Challenges are designed to encourage you to try your hand at something new, to stretch yourself, to enjoy, and celebrate the creative spirit.

  • Read the guidelines for the challenges carefully, like most exercises, they are designed to help you develop in specific areas. Try to follow them as closely as you can, but stretching them in unexpected directions is good too.

  • Individuals are welcome and encouraged to give recognition to those performers whom they especially enjoy.

  • In order to allow the largest number of people to participate, challenge entries shall be limited to 3-5 minutes or less for Poems and Songs, 5-7 minutes or less for stories - including any introduction.

  • Each person may enter a maximum of one piece in each challenge and a maximum of four challenges (including the concert).

Image Found as Facebook Meme. Marvin the Martian and Quote belong to Warner Bros - Inspiring evil geniuses and mad scientists for 68 years and counting!